Christmas 2009

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was very special this year. Brody is almost 16 months so after opening around 5 gifts or so he really had it down pat and knew exactly how to take control of the "present opening situation". Mike and I bought him a TON of things, however, we gave him the special treat of opening a gift almost every night starting about a week and half before Christmas. We figured this may be best since he would have so many gifts on the actual day, this way he could actually play with each toy and enjoy it without feeling overwhelmed of what to play with or open next.
Our tradition is to go to Mike's Aunt and Cousins house Christmas Eve, this year their house probably had over 75 gifts. Christmas pretty much focused around the little ones in our lives this year...but then again isn't that what Christmas is all about????
Brody and Kenz tore into their many presents from Aunt Rita and Cousin Lara. Then round two began on Christmas day. In the morning Mike and I gave Brody his few remaining gifts we had left for him as well as gifts from my side of the family. My Mom, Sisters family and Dad got Brody a TON of stuff and money from my aunt & uncle (his great aunt & uncle Peggy & Jim). It took him most of the morning to open all he had under the tree. He got everything from a Fake laptop, Quad, books, Zhu-Zhu Pets(that my sister searched high and low for for weeks) and a TON of Elmo stuff aside from numerous other things...too much to remember.
Then off the Mike's parents house...Round 3 of the gift opening!!! They gave him several AWESOME things that he adored!!! He got a remote control car, a singing bus, puzzles and A BASKETBALL HOOP!!!
Now we have to wait a whole year for all the fun of Santa to come again... oh to be a child again!

The new Quad!! Thanks Grandma:)

Look at that Christmas Hair!! Now thats what I call a handsome look.

Such a happy camper on Christmas morning. He was opeing books from Grandma and you can see his new Elmo Live in the background from Grandpa Jimmy.

Zoo Time with Aunt Shell

Brody has never been to the Zoo so when Shell invited us we took her up on it. He & Kenz seemed to have a great time, but when it came to feeding the Giraffes I don't think he was too sure about that. Then again for a little guy I could see where he could get a little intimidated....

Christmas Photos 2009

This is our 2nd year of getting Brody's pictures taken with Kenz. This year was a little more difficult then last, but then again last year he had fallen asleep by the time our photos were being taken. He is such a cutie and of course I bought just about every pose of him!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Brody and I did some serious Christmas decorating this weekend while dad was busy at work. It was a challenge however to find a spot where the tree could go up and Brody could touch but not pull it down. He has made it his mission to remove all ornaments at his level and I must say his mission has been accomplished.

He's growing up so fast...

It seems like yesterday when we brought him home for the first time and now he is into everything, opening doors and cruising around the house like a mad man. Mike and I have decided to try for baby number 2 this summer and then that is it. Of course the hope is for a Girl so we have the experience of both but if we have 2 boys I will be completly happy with that as well...who would'nt be when you have a cutie like ours!!!

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate??

To vaccinate or not vaccinate??? With an angel like ours Mike and I keep changing our mind on whether or not to vaccinate Brody. It is so new, and no one really knows all the possible side effects, however, on the other side of the ticket if Brody was one of the few that had a bad case of the Swine Flu we would beat ourselves up for not having him vaccinated...ughhh what to do???? We have decided to make an appointment with our pediatrician so that we can "interrogate" him for a while on the pros and cons so we may make a better educated decision .
We are very protective of our little guy ...probably too protective, but then again can you ever be too protective with the one you love??? We screen everyone, whether it be strangers or family members. We ask everyone "are you sick?" and if they respond yes...we panic! I know it may seem a little ridiculous to some but we feel you can never be too protective when it comes to a little ones health . The media is filled with statistics on the H1N1 and I must say it is all a little overwhelming yet very scary at the same time especially for 1st time parents. We only want the best for Brody and his health is our number one concern over anything else. Mike and I are very much on the same page, that we will take no chances with Brody. I would have to say Mike is a little more protective then I may be, he doesn't even like to take Brody to Target or Walmart, he calls it "Swine flu central".
I have done so much research on this particular flu I feel like I am studying for Med school. However everything I read states the exact same thing, you can never wash your hands to much and to keep your distance from anyone showing the slightest symptoms of sickness (cough, runny nose, sneezing, wheezing and especially a fever).
Mike and I are going to take the advise from the experts and do our best to keep him out of harms way, and hopefully after meeting with the Pediatrician today we will be better in formed on whether or not to opt for the H1N1 flu shot.... I am counting the days til flu season is over so we can get back to everyday life and worry about nothing more then the common everyday cold...HOPEFULLY!!!!

This is our angel...he was just 2 days old in this picture, just home from the hospital(it is date stamped wrong)

What a big boy!

Baby B (as my co-workers refer to him) is chatting up a storm. Of course much of it is in his own little language but alot of it you can definately understand. His two fav words are Dog and Dada. He used to say Mama but dropped that in the past few weeks, he only calls for mama when he is upset at something and cannot seem to find me.
He is into everything! I was warned that boys have no fear.... and you could say that again! Brody will dump all of his toys out of his huge plastic bin just so he can turn in upside down and try to climb on top (of course I only allow this with my assistance) He is investiging everything and catches on very quickly. he knows how to open doors, climb off the bed (with help) and climb into his little red push car all by himself. He is growing so fast and it is so amazing to watch!